Porn video find prompts inquiry

Police investigate whether man filmed underage girls

Updated 11:42 pm, Tuesday, June 21, 2011

TROY -- An investigation is under way by local and federal authorities into whether a 63-year-old city man used local underage girls to make porn films.

Ronald Rafferty of 689 First Ave. was in court Tuesday to be arraigned on a count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony, after a video showing sex acts by an underage girl was found in a van he was driving in May.

William Roberts, Rafferty's public defender, informed Judge Robert Jacon that the van did not belong to his client, the video was not in plain view and his client was unaware it was there.

"The van was knee-deep in trash and junk, and way down in the bottom of the piles they found this video,'' Roberts said. "The prosecution has serious problems of proving knowing possession here.''

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Assistant District Attorney Katharine Hemann countered that the girl on the tape was local and has been identified.

"I watched the tape, your honor, and the girl identifies the defendant on the tape,'' Hemann said. "She says 'Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie' and then he tells her to continue what she is doing. This was homemade, your honor, and there will likely be more charges in the future.''

Hemann said that both Albany County and FBI investigators are now examining the evidence and looking for more victims.

In February 2010, Rafferty was arrested after he picked up two girls, ages 14 and 16, with his van after they got off the morning bus at Doyle Middle School.

It was determined that he had no parental permission to take the girls and he was charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Rafferty later pleaded guilty to one count. His sentence at that time could not be determined.

Roberts asked that his client be released to probation supervision while the case moves forward, but Hemann asked for bail.

Jacon allowed the $15,000 bail set by city court be continued.

Investigators urge anyone whose children have had contact with Rafferty to call the police Special Investigation Unit at 270-5854, Cooney said.